Was Churchill a better First Lord of the Admiralty in the First World War or the Second World War?
Short answerThe First World War, because Churchill later forgot lessons about a long war and made questionable senior naval appointments.
NotesChurchill and Admiral Jackie Fisher worked well together at first, although their relationship later deteriorated. The comparison chooses the First World War as Churchill's better period as First Lord of the Admiralty. The criticism of his later tenure is that he did not retain the earlier lesson that wars can last longer than expected. His willingness to elevate officers such as Lord Cork and Lord Mountbatten suggests that personal impressions sometimes overrode a harder assessment of naval command ability. The exchange gives viewers a clear comparative judgment and the personnel choices behind it.